First Amendment
| When administrators aren’t required to abide by the First Amendment, can students still speak up?

by Bonnie Pritchett Posted 11/28/17, 01:49 pm

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is no Berkeley-on-the-Hudson: Nothing burned during a student protest outside an October black-tie fundraiser hosted by school President Shirley Ann Jackson. But the protest and the ensuing disciplinary charges against two students at the Troy, N.Y., school highlights the lack of constitutional accountability at private institutions, including Christian colleges.

by Bonnie Pritchett Posted 11/21/17, 04:15 pm

As attorneys for Colorado baker Jack Phillips prepare to defend his religious and free speech rights before the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 5, the Australian Parliament is drafting same-sex marriage legislation that some fear could criminalize similar dissent Down Under.

First Amendment
| Two recent cases could determine whether public officials’ social media accounts are ‘dedicated public forums’

by Bonnie Pritchett Posted 11/07/17, 03:48 pm

A liberal advocacy group in Wisconsin is asking a federal court to declare the Twitter accounts of three state representatives “designated public forums.” As such, blocking access to the accounts is unconstitutional, the group argues. The lawsuit is the second such case filed this year demanding unfettered access to the virtual conversations on elected officials’ Twitter accounts.

First Amendment
| Department of Justice sides with students suing schools to protect First Amendment freedoms

Bonnie Pritchett | 10/31/17, 04:51 pm

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed briefs in Georgia and California courts in support of college students challenging campus speech policies that allegedly violate the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The briefs, called Statements of Interest, are a welcome show of support for free speech advocates battling policies that dictate where, when, and how students can speak their piece on America’s college campuses.

First Amendment
| The social media giant blocked two Christian ministry pages this month, offering only vague explanations about community standards violations

Bonnie Pritchett | 10/24/17, 01:35 pm

Facebook shut down two Christian ministry pages this month, without warning or explanation, renewing fears about the social media giant’s ability to control access to an important corner of today’s public square.

Lifestyle
| During November, National Adoption Month, we also recognize the hard lives of children in foster care—but now, some who have come out of that experience get their say on Capitol Hill

Bonnie Pritchett | 10/19/17, 08:39 pm

When Michael Teresa Mellifera was 7 and her brother was 9, Ohio child welfare caseworkers removed them from their home. It wasn’t the children’s fault that their father was abusive and jailed for selling drugs and women. Or that police charged their mother with child endangerment and drug-related offenses.

Bonnie Pritchett | 10/17/17, 03:42 pm

Pro-abortion activists have adopted a new legal strategy against pro-life laws in Missouri, challenging them as violations of religious liberty protections. In 2016, a self-avowed Satanist sued the state, claiming its abortion regulations are “religious tenets” and therefore a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Admendment of the U.S. Constitution and Missouri’s Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA). The case now heads to the state’s Supreme Court for what could be a final decision.

First Amendment
| Catholic and Jewish leaders file legal briefs arguing that the government should not exclude religious facilities from disaster relief aid

Bonnie Pritchett | 10/10/17, 02:54 pm

Houston-area Catholic and Jewish congregations have filed legal briefs in support of three churches suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for denying disaster relief funds because of their religious identity. The churches—two non-denominational and one Assemblies of God—are united in their fight against religious discrimination that could spell financial ruin for congregations across the storm-ravaged United States.

First Amendment
| Members of the U.S. military don’t enjoy all the First Amendment protections they’re called to defend

Bonnie Pritchett | 10/03/17, 04:16 pm

An active-duty U.S. Army officer could face court-martial and time in the guardhouse for his use of social media to vilify his superiors and promote communism. 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone, a 2016 U.S. Military Academy graduate, is under investigation for posts that include a July tweet stating he would “happily dance” on the grave of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Bonnie Pritchett | 9/26/17, 02:09 pm

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is challenging a Michigan law that allows faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to operate according to their Biblical convictions. The lawsuit, filed against the state Sept. 20 in federal court, could jeopardize similar laws across the nation and force faith-based agencies to close.